“The Beatles” writer Bruce Howard dead at 86

Emmy-nominated TV writer Bruce Howard, an uncredited story man for all 39 episodes of King Features Syndicate’s 1965-67 The Beatlescartoon series, died Monday in Studio City, California of natural causes. He was 86.

Howard wrote 32 episodes of The Red Skelton Hour in 1962-63, and was nominated for an Emmy for his work.

For Famous Studios’ King Features Trilogy, he wrote the 1963 Beetle Bailey episodes “The Jinx,” “For Officers Only,” “The Spy,” “The Diet,” “Bridge on the River ‘Y,'” “Halftrack’s Navy” and “Geronimo.” Also for the trilogy, he wrote the Snuffy Smith and Barney Google episodes “The Master,” “Springtime and Sparkplug,” “The Berkley Squares” and “The Hat.”

He made a brief return to animation in 1987, when — credited as “Butch Howard” — he penned Invisibly Yours, George, an episode of the revived The Jetsons.

Howard wrote multiple episodes of such comedy series as Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch and Good Times, as well as McHale’s Navy and The Love Boat. He wrote one or two episodes each of The Lucy Show, I Dream of Jeannie, The Jeffersons, Alice, Too Close for Comfort, Punky Brewster, What’s Happening and One Day at a Time.

He wrote dozens of episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard and was the show’s story editor from 1979-83.

Born in Brooklyn, Howard was also an actor. He began in show business as a standup comic working with such others as Milton Berle and Shecky Greene. He appeared in the Catskills and elsewhere around the United States.

Bruce Howard is survived by his wife of 39 years, Gaye; three sons; and a daughter.